Unfortunately, the criteria is not “quality of life.” Nor is it “economic prosperity” or “lowest cost of government.”

Sadly, it’s “most corrupt state governments in America,” according to a recent study published in Public Administration Review.

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And there we are, right in the thick of the top (or maybe we should say bottom) 10 list.

Louisiana is legendary for its public corruption.

Illinois has … how many former governors in jail?

But Pennsylvania is right in there with the worst of them — possibly as a result of fallout from the Bonusgate probes.

Corruption of government officials is annoying. It’s embarrassing. But worst of all, it’s expensive.

The study said corruption costs citizens about $1,308 per person more in the most corrupt states than in states with average corruption.

Average corruption. That’s a strange term. How about no corruption?

That’s probably not possible, given the human condition.

But it does seem like governments can be set up for success or failure by their systemic checks and balances designed to prevent the possibility of corruption — or to police and prosecute it.

And Pennsylvania has a threadbare integrity net.

We’ve seen that recently in the debate over gifts for elected officials.

In Philadelphia, lawmakers were alleged to have taken gifts in a sting operation. But amazingly, the gifts were not illegal, according to state law.

We need to crack down on that — either banning or severely curtailing the size and scope of allowed gifts.

There are many things lawmakers could do to improve public integrity — and public confidence.

* Reform the per diem system that allows lawmakers to charge taxpayers flat rates for expenses without receipts. They need a voucher and reimbursement system like most businesses use.

* Limit campaign contributions. There are virtually no limits on donations to state campaigns now.

* Lobbyist reforms and full disclosure rules.

Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-parts of northern York County, recently created a “Government Reform Caucus” pushing for a long list of reforms: Independent audits of the General Assembly, elimination of annual legislative COLAs, suspension of pay for late budget, no lame-duck sessions, open primaries, etc.

We’d like to see more (or all) York County lawmakers listed among that caucus.

Granted, the Bonusgate probe, which resulted in many lawmakers being jailed, sent a shockwave through the ranks of public officials. We have to believe — or hope — that they are, as group, behaving better as a result.

But we really need systemic good government measures in place to remove opportunities or temptations to corruption.

It’s embarrassing.

It results in lousy governance and inefficient public services.

And we just can’t afford it. Who wants to spend an extra $1,300 a year for crappy government?

Pennsylvania needs to get out of that top 10 list as quickly as possible.